Surfactants play a key role in dentifrices. They emulsify fats and oils coating the oral cavity, they prevent dentifrice loss by drooling during brushing, and they provide a means for contacting active ingredients with teeth and gums during brushing. Unfortunately, most toothpaste surfactants have undesirable properties. They taste bad, both during and after brushing, and they irritate oral and gastric mucosa. Common dentifrice surfactants (for example, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium N-lauroyl sarcosinate, etc) may even contribute to periodontal disease, which affects 75% of the U.S. population. These common surfactants cause chronic inflammation and sloughing of oral mucosa, thus facilitating infection by pathogenic microorganisms. See also: H. Bleeg, Scand. J. Dent. Res., 98, 235 (1990). Current harsh surfactants may also aggravate tooth sensitivity and tooth staining in susceptible individuals.